The pair had to be escorted from the ground by police after they allegedly received sectarian abuse and a death threat from one individual.

The PSNI said that they removed a 19-year-old male from the ground for sectarian chanting, while a 29-year-old man was cautioned for sectarian chanting following an incident involving two other males.

Recently new legislation linked to football matches has been introduced to tackle anti-social behaviour. Both men have now been reported to the Public Prosecution Service and police enquiries are continuing.

Striker Liam Boyce, who has one international cap for Northern Ireland, told his Twitter followers that he and Conor Devlin had been enjoying "banter" between the fans and themselves but "there's always one to ruin it".

He later went on to say that the man had threatened to "cut your throats" while the game was still going on.

A Linfield spokesperson said that they would be making no comment on the matter while a representative of Cliftonville said that it was not a club related matter.

Area Commander for south Belfast, Chief Inspector Gabriel Moran said: "The PSNI are committed to working with football clubs to help ensure that the environment at sporting engagements is one which can be enjoyed by everyone. Specific legislation was introduced in relation to football grounds that provides a mechanism for officers to tackle behaviour that is unacceptable and which is anti-social.

"Officers will use this legislation to help create a safer environment for all."